Bottle carrier



Se t. 18,-1934. H. F. BEHRENDT BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 15. 1953 M ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 18, 1934- TTES 1,974,255 BOTTLE CARRIER Herman F. Behrenclt, Newark, N. J., assignor of one-half to N. J.

William S. Bechtold, South Orange,

Application Deceinber l5, 1933, Serial No. 702,459

A'Claims. (Cl. 294-87) My. invention relates to bottle carriers and refers more particularly to carriers for milk bottles. The bottle carrier of my invention belongs to that type of such carriers which grip the neck of the bottle just below its top bead, and which have a handle portion.

Milk bottles are difiicult to carry in the hands without dropping them, particularly if more than one bottle is carried by one hand, as is done by milkmen in delivering bottled milk and collecting empty bottles. I am not aware of any prior fully satisfactory device for this purpose, such bottle carriers as heretofore provided or proposed commonly having serious defectsof various kinds by reason of which they are rendered objectionable.

My invention provides a bottle carrier of the type mentioned which is convenient and quick in operation in picking up and releasing the bottles, by which it is easy to carry the bottles, and which at all times provides security against breakage of bottles; Furthermore, the bottle carrier of my invention is of simple construction, economical to manufacture, strong, durable and unlikely to become inoperative. Other advantages and valuable attributes of my bottle carrier will be evident from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating one form of the bottle carrier of my invention. n

Stated in general terms, for each bottle to be picked up, carried and set down, my invention comprises a pair of oppositely simultaneously movable clamp shoes of partially annular shape having their concave faces opposed to each other, together with a movable operating member for each clamp shoe, and upon which the ,clamp'shoe is pivotally mounted upon a horizontal pivot for limited rocking movement, while the concave face of the clamp shoe carries a pluralityof separate contact points, such asinwardly projecting lugs, which are distributed in spaced relation with one another arcuately and also at difierent levels respectively above and below the clamp shoepivot, so that thereby automatic self-,adjustment'of both clamp shoes to the neck of the bottle is provided, whereby the neck of the bottle will be se-1 i carrier, manipulated with one hand, will similarly simultaneously pick up,carry' and release a plurality of bottles.

More particularly, in practically carrying out my invention, a clamp shoe is of a substantially partial bell shape, having an upper portion shaped to extend part way around the neck of a bottle, and having an outwardly flaring lower portion adapted to have sliding engagement with the top of the bottle so as to deflect and guide the clamp shoe as the latter is moved downwardly from above the bottle.

The bottle carrier of my invention also includes'various features of construction and combinations of, parts, as will appear from the following description and appended claims.

One form of the bottle carrier of my invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which similar parts are'designated by similar numerals.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the bottle carrier of my invention shown as positioned for use'in relation to two bottles. I

Figure -2 is a partial transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figures 1 and'3.

Figure 3 is a complete horizontal cross section on the line 3--3 of Figure '2.

Figure 4 is an'elevation showing the inner side of one clamp shoe and particularly illustrates one of its self-'adjusting'features.

Figure 5 is a partial vertical section substantially similar to- Figure 2 illustrating another self-. adjusting feature of one of the bottle-gripping clamp shoes. a

The particular formof the bottle carrier of my invention illustrated in'the accompanying drawing is of a multiple construction shown as embodying two similar operating units or mechanisms adapted to operate in coordinated coop-v erative relation as in Figure 1, in which the two units are shown as combined. in a: single co'or'ganization which constitutes the complete bottle carrier as a whole. Thus a description'of one of these coorganized units will serve for both of them. In Figures 1,2 and 3 of the drawing;- the illustrated bottle carrier is shown as asso v eiated in bottle-carrying relation with two usual milk bottles 10-10 respectively having their necks 11-11 terminating upwardly in annular beads 1212.

The carrying means for a bottle 10 engageable with its neck 11 beneath its bead 12 consistsof a pair of similar opposed oppositely movable clamp shoes 1313. These clamp shoes are of arcuate shape horizontally, have their concave sides opposed to each other, and are of considerable length from top to bottom, to extend down along the neck of the bottle. Each clamp shoe is of substantially bell shape having a downwardly extended guiding portion 1a which flares downwardly and outwardly on a gradual curve. The upper end of the clamp shoe has an inner beveled surface 15. The upper portion of the clamp shoe above its flaring guide skirt 14 and below its bevel 15 is shown as forming a sectional part of an annulus. Adjacent each of its arcuately extended edges the clamp shoe 13 is provided at the inside with a pair of inwardly projecting VET- tically spaced gripping or clamping lugs or studs 16-16. The upper lugs 16-16 are shown as just below the bevel, while the lower lugs 16-16 are shown as just above the outwardly flared guide portion 14. At a point intermediate of its arcuate width, the upper portion of the clamp shoe 13 is provided with a pair of parallel horizontally spaced outwardly projecting ears 1'7-1'7, through and'between which there extends a pivot pin 18.

By means of their pivot pins 18-18, the two clamp shoes 13-13 of an opposed pair thereof are respectively pivotally mounted upon the downwardly extended lower end portions of a pair of bent operating levers 19 and 20. Intermediate of their length, these levers 19 and 20 cross each other and are there connected together by means of a fulcrum pivot 21, so that thus each of the two substantially similar levers 19 and 20 has an upper arm extending above its fulcrum pivot 21 and a lower arm which is bowed outwardly and downwardly to the clamp shoe pivot 18. The upper arm of the lever 20 is shown as extending somewhat above the upper end of the upper arm of the other lever 19 for a purpose which will be explained later.

Each of these levers 19 and 20 has the inner face of its lower arm shaped to provide an overhanging stop shoulder 22 which forms an abutment for the top of the milk bottle bead 12. The lower arm of each of these levers 19 and 20 is extended below the clamp shoe pivot 18 to form a relatively short tail arm 23, the inner face of which is convexly curved or rounded outwardly and down wardly. It is to be noted that the clamp shoe pivots 18-18 are at a level vertically between the upper and lower clamping lugs 16-16.

In each instance the inner faces of the lower arms of the levers 19 and 20, including their respective similar tail arm extensions 23-23 are spaced outwardly a sufficient distance from the outer face of the clamp shoe 13, as to leave the clamp shoe free for a desired amount of pivotal movement on its mounting pivot 18. The rocking movement thus provided for the clamp shoe 13 is limited in each direction. its outward movement at its upper end being thus limited by the inner face of the lever arm above the pivot 18, while outward movement of the portion of the clamp shoe at a level below the pivot 18 is limited by the tailarm 23.

The necks of different bottles, especially milk bottles, vary considerably in size and shape. They are of different external diameter, are not always perfectly circular and also vary in shape and size along vertical lines as they extend downw'ardly, commonly at first long substantially cylindrical lines, from the top bead and become gradually enlarged and merge into the body of the bottle. The clamp shoe pivots 18-18 cooperate with the circumferentially widely spaced pairs of vertically spaced gripping lugs 16-16 to grip the neck 11 of the bottle firmly and securely between the opposed pair of clampshoes 13-13. For each of these clamp shoes 13-13 the neck 11 will be firmly gripped at each of the four separate points occupied by the lugs 16-16 carried by each of these clamp shoes. Each of the clamp shoes 13-13, constructed and mounted as shown and described, is self-adjusting to the milk bottle neck 11.

The rocking movement provided for the clamp shoe 13 on its pivot pin 18 assures that both the upper and lower gripping lugs 16-16 will be brought into clamping engagement with the bottle neck 11 irrespective of a difierence in diameter of the bottle neck at the level of the upper lugs 16-16 and at the lower level of the lower lugs 16-16. The clamp shoe 13 is also self-adjusting to the bottle neck 11 circumferentially th reof by reason of the fact that this shoe does not come. into direct contact with the bottle neckand has gripping and clamping engagement therewith only through the intermediary of the circumferentially spaced pairs of gripping lugs 16-16 and in the vertical radial plane of each of these pairs of gripping lugs.

The bottle carrier of my invention illustrated in the drawing is adapted for carrying two hottles at once if so desired and as shown in Fi ure 1. Accordingly there are two pairs of the pivotally connected operating arms19 and 20 each carrying a pair of the clamping shoes 13-13 as above described. The two pairs of these operating arms 19 and 20 are horizontally spaced in parallel relation by and their fulcrum pivots 21-21 extend beyond the opposite ends of an interposed spacer 24. These fulcrum pivots 21-21 are desirably in the form of a single rod extending through the spacer 2 1 and tying together the two spaced pairs of operating arms 19 and 20, which are retained thereon by means of outer heads 25-25. The amount of spacing between the two pairs of arms 19 and 20 is made sufficient so that the larger body portions of the two bottles, such as the milk bottles 10-10 indicated in Figure 1, will be safely spaced from each other.

The upper ends of the upper arms of the operating levers 19-19 are connected together as well as spaced apart by means of a handle member 26 mounted upon a rod 27 having outer end heads 28-28. The upper ends of the upper arms of the operating levers 20-20 are similarly connected together and spaced apart by means of a handle member 29 mounted upon a rod 30 having outer end heads 31-31. It has been found that having the two handle members 26 and 29 at a slightly different level or elevation,

provides a better grip for and more comfortable fit to the hand in grasping both of these handle members at the same time.

The operation is as follows:-

Assuming that there are two bottles to be carried, both of the pairs of clamp shoes 13-13 are pushed down over the tops of the bottles at the same time. The two clamp shoes 13-13 of a pair thereof will be automatically spread apart by the engagement of their flaring guide I ends 14-14 with the top of the bottle bead 12, and then will be automatically closed upon the bottle neck 11 by the relatively light grip of the fingers upon the two handle members 26 and 29. the pair of clamp shoes 13-13 will be prevented by the stop shoulders 22-22 abutting against the top of the bottle bead 12.

Lifting movement applied to the handle members 26 and 29 will tighten the grip of the clamp Further idle downward movement of shoes '13-l3'upon -the neck of the-bottle, the weight of which will cause the lowerrounded edgeportion of its bead 12 to-come into engagement with the arcuate beveled upperinnersurfaces 15-15 of the clamp shoes 13l3. As these clamp shoes'are pressed toward each other and against the bottle neck- 11, they will automatically adjust themselves thereto as above described, with each of the four spaced gripping lugs 16-1-16 of each of the two opposed clamp'fshoes 13 -13 in firm and secure clamping engagement with the neck of the bottle,'which has no other points of contact with these clamp shoes. At the same time the bottle will be supported by its bead 12 abutting upon the beveled faces 15-45. g

In thisconnection it should be noted-that each of the-two bottles 10i0' will be rigidly held in spaced relation from each other'and thus prevented from knocking against-each other while being carried. Should the necks 1-1--11' of the two bottles 10-40 not be of just the same diameter, that has been found immaterial, since-the interconnected operating elements of the device, including thelever arms 19 and 20, are sufiiciently resiliently yieldable that the necks 11--1l of both bottles will be securely gripped.

For releasing the bottles in order to deposit them, it is only necessary, after setting them down, to relax the grip of the hand and raise the bottle carrier away from the bottles by lifting force applied to only one of the handle members 26 and 29. For carrying a single bottle instead of two, the operation is substantially the same.

It is obvious that if so desired the bottle carrier 1 could be extended in length so as then to have a series of more than two bottle-carrying elements or operating mechanisms, thus adapting it for carrying more than two bottles and would then still operate in a substantially similar manner. It is similarly obvious that it could be made so as to be capable of carrying only a single bottle. Also it may be adapted for similarly carrying bottles other than milk bottles.

Milkmen on delivery routes must necessarily move rapidly and work fast. In carrying milk bottles by hand as is usually done and often with the necks of two bottles held in the same hand, the bottles are liable to be dropped and broken and sometimes are. Small carrying baskets have been tried, but too much time is lost in transferring the bottles into and out of such baskets. With the use of the bottle car l r of my invention the filled bottles can be delivered and the empty ones collected more quickly than can be done by hand and with the further important factor of safety.

A common fault with bottle carriers designed to carry a plurality of bottles has been the frequent breakage of bottles from knocking togather. The four-point clamping contact provided by the four gripping lugs 16-46, with these lugs arranged and disposed in the relation shown, on each of the two opposed clamp shoes 1313, has proved to be especially effective in preventing adjacent bottles from knocking against each other while being carried by the bottle carrier of my invention, since the bottles, such as 10-16, are thus rigidly held against such swinging movement.

I do not limit myself to the particular size, shape, number, arrangement or material of parts as shown and described, as these are given simply as a means for clearly explaining the bottle carrier of my invention.

Furthermore, it is obvious that various modifications may be -made in the construction shown in thedra-wing and above --particularly described, witli'inthe principle and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.-

What I-claim is:' a

1. In a bottle carrier,'in combination, at least two similar pairs of crossed operating levers having upper and lower arms, a fulcrum member in common for each said two pairs of levers connecting said pairs together and spacing them from each other, a one handle member extending between said pairs of levers and connecting together while also spacing apart the upper ends of their upper arms at the same side laterally of said pairs, another handle member extending alongside said one handle member'and connecting together'while'also spacing apart the upperends of the remaining upper arms of said pairs of levers, apair of clamp shoes of partially annular shape having their concave faces opposed to each other for each of said pairs of levers adapted to have clamping engagement with the neck of a bottle, anda horizontal pivot parallel with the axis of said fulcrum'member wherebyeach of said clamp shoes is mounted for limited pivotal movement upon the lower end portion of the lower arm of each of said operating levers.

2. In a bottle carrier, in combination, at least two similar pairs of crossed operating levers having upper and lower arms, a fulcrum member in common for each said two pairs of levers connecting said pairs together and spacing them from each other, a one handle member extending between said pairs of levers and connecting together while also spacing apart the upper ends of their upper arms at the same side laterally of said pairs, another handle member extending along side said one handle member and connecting together while also spacing apart the upper ends of the remaining upper arms of said pairs of levers, a pair of clamp shoes of partially annular shape having their concave faces opposed to each other for each of said pairs of levers, and a horizontal pivot parallel with the axis or" said fulcrum member whereby each of said clamp shoes is mounted for limited pivotal movement upon the lower end portion of the lower arm of each of said operating levers, each of said clamp shoes having upon its concave face four contact points in spaced quadrangular relation with two spaced arcuately from another two and with two at different levels with respect to another two above and below said horizontal pivot of the clamp shoe and adapted to have clamping engagement with the neck of a 7 bottle.

3. In a bottle carrier, in combination, at least two similar pairs of crossed operating levers havberextending alongside said one handle member 1-.

each of said clamp shoes having upon its concave face a plurality of contact points in spaced relation with one another arcuately and at different levels respectively above and below said horizontal pivot of the clamp shoe and adapted to have clamping engagement with the neck of a bottle, one of said clamp shoes having at least one upper and two arcuately spaced lower contact points and the other of said clamp shoes having at least one lower and two upper arcuately spaced contact points thereby to prevent swinging of the bottle in a vertical plane passing between said clamp shoes.

4. In a bottle carrier, in combination, at least two similar pairs of crossed operating levers having upper and lower arms, axially aligned fulcrum pivots pivoting together the two crossed operating levers of each of said pairs thereof, a one handle member extending between said pairs cf levers and connecting together while also spacing apart the upper ends of their upper arms at the same side laterally of said pairs, another handle member extending alongside said one handle member and connecting together while also spacing apart the upper ends of the remaining upper arms of said pairs of levers, a pair of clamp shoes of partially annular shape having their concave faces opposed to each other for each of said pairs of levers, and a horizontal pivot parallel with said axially aligned fulcrum pivots and. whereby each of said clamp shoes is mounted for limited pivotal movement upon the lower end portion of the lower arm of each of said operating levers respectively, each of said clamp shoes having upon its concave face a plurality of contact points in spaced relation with one another arcuately and at different levels respectively above and below said horizontal pivot of the clamp shoe and adapted to have clamping engagement with the neck of a bottle, each of said clamp shoes having at least one of said contact points which is arcuately spaced from two other upper andlower contact points with said latter contact points on the respective clamp shoes disposed adjacently to said one arcuately spaced contact point on the other said clamp shoe thereby to prevent swinging of the bottle in a vertical plane passing between said clamp shoes.

HERMAN F. BEHRENDT. 

